Announcement of Changes for the Up & Coming Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24th, 2026
Evolution has always been a part of the Up & Coming Conference’s DNA.
Founded in 2010 by the Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC) and Bloomingfoods Co-op Market as “Up & Coming, Up & Running”, it started as a gathering for open/established food co-ops and organizing startups in the Indiana region. In 2015, the conference formalized a name change — to the “Up & Coming Conference” — and also a change to focusing on the needs of startup food co-ops nationally after ICDC invited Food Co-op Initiative (FCI) to be their key organizing partner of the conference.
Between 2015–2025, Up & Coming grew from a two-day event with dozens of attendees to a three-day experience of in-depth learning and collaboration for nearly 300 cooperators. In 2021, Up & Coming evolved again to include the Black-Led Startup Day organized and led by the National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA) — the only national, in-person conference day exclusively for the organizing of Black-led food co-ops. It’s been an incredible decade for FCI and ICDC, working together to make Up & Coming a powerful event that meets the ever-changing needs of startup food co-op organizers.
It is with deep gratitude to one another and to the entire startup food co-op community that FCI and ICDC announce Up & Coming’s newest evolution:
ICDC, Up & Coming’s co-founder, will be stepping away from the conference to focus on regional initiatives, and in 2026, FCI — the national apex organization of the startup food co-op movement — will be leading a re-imagining of Up & Coming’s future as the national gathering for startup food co-ops.
"I am proud of ICDC’s contributions to the national food co-op ecosystem via Up & Coming and we’re excited to continue building out that ecosystem as we experiment with models for rural cooperative grocery across Indiana,” said Hugh Farrell, Executive Director of ICDC.
“FCI is committed to continuing to lead a national, in-person gathering for startup food co-ops,” shares JQ Hannah, Executive Director of FCI. “So much is shifting so fast in the startup food co-op movement, from who is organizing new food co-ops, to why they are organizing, to what business concepts are showing viability after opening; it’s important that Up & Coming evolves to meet this moment. That evolution is something FCI will decide with the startup food co-op community we serve.”
“We want to do this right,” continues Hannah, “which means the conference will be on pause for 2026 and will return as an in-person, dynamic movement gathering in 2027. We are proud to already have the commitment of NBFJA to continue to partner with FCI in bringing Up & Coming to the startup community.”
The 2027 gathering will be held in Detroit, MI, with host co-op Detroit People’s Food Co-op. “Detroit People’s will be the first-ever startup food co-op to attend U&C as an organizing startup and now to host it as an open cooperative grocery store,” says Hannah. “We can think of no better way to kick off U&C’s next chapter than with the cooperators of DPFC, who are leaders not only in their own community, but in the food co-op space nationally.”
In April, FCI will be sharing their next steps for a dynamic re-visioning process for Up & Coming. It will take place over the summer and fall of 2026 and everyone in the startup food co-op community will be invited to take part in the process.
If you have questions or suggestions for FCI regarding Up & Coming, please contact us at jq@fci.coop